Gang-saw mill.



PATENTED APR. 21, 1908;

T. s. WILKIN. GANG S'AW MILL.

APPLICATION FILED 1111134, 1906.

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T s, WILKIN. GANG SAW MILL. APPLIOATION rum) JUNE 4. 190'0.

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' No.885,1-19. PATENTED'APR. 21, 1908 T. s. WILKIN.

GANG SAW MILL. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES THEODORE S. WILKIN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN,

GANG-SAW MILL.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE S. WILKIN, residing in Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gang-Saw Mills, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to ments in gang saw mills.

In gang saw mills, as ordinarily constructed, the motive ower, that is', the steam cylinder or cylin ers, has been placed either below the crank shaft, or between the bottom of the saw sash and the crank shaft. These constructions are open to very serious objections, as experience has demonstrated that the cylinders, when thus located, are necessarily so positioned that they receive thereon the dust and sand from the logs, as said logs are run through the gate or sash and sawed into lumber, the said dust and sand settling on the cylinder and in the working parts, and clogging the stufling boxes, governor, 620. Furthermore, in the old form of construction, the gang sawyer is subjected to the heat and steam ascending from the cylinders, which very seriously interferes with the effectiveness of his work, owing to this uncomfortable heat. I am also enabled to dispense with all trunk pistons, or with connecting rods between the-piston rod and the lower end of the sash, as formerly used.

It is the primary object of my invention to overcome the above pointed out difficulties by providing a construction wherein the cylinder is mountedon top of the gang frame, with its piston extended downwardly and attached to the top of the sash, whereby the improvecrank-shaft is driven through the gang sash, instead of the gang sash being driven by the crank shaft, as in the old constructions.

With the above primary object, and other incidental objects, in view, the invention consists of the devices and parts, or their equivalents, as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a gang saw mill constructed in accordance with my invention, parts broken away; Fig. 2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1, parts broken away; and Fig. 3 is a central vertical sectional view looking towards the left of Fig. 1.

Referrin to the drawings, the numeral 3 indicates t e gang frame of ordinary and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 4, 1906.

Patented April 21, 1908.

Serial No. 319,983.

usual construction, 4 the gang sash, and 5 the saws carried by the gang sash. Mounted on top of the gang frame is a steam cylinder 6. From the piston of this cylinder projects downwardly a piston-rod 7 which extends through the top beam of the frame and is connected at its lower end to a central point of a yoke 8. Each depending arm of the yoke is provided with a bearing 9 which lies between L-shaped guide ways 10, 10, secured to the gang frame. The side edges of the transverse to beam 11 of the gang sash 4 are provided wit laterally-projecting trunnions 12, 12, which are turnable in the bearings 9. The upper transverse beam 11 and the lower transverse beam 13 of the gang sash are connected by means of rods 14, 14, as in the ordinary form of gang sashes. The opposite end edges of lower transverse beam 13 are provided with laterally-projecting trunnions 15, 15 which are j ournaled in swinging or oscillating bearing blocks 16, 16: The pivot 17 ofeach of these blocks is located at the rear edge of the block, near the upper end of said rear edge.

In the lower portion of the gang frame is a crank shaft 18. This crank shaft is actuated by the gang sash through the medium of rods 19, 19, ivotally connected at their upper ends to the lower transverse beam 13 of the gang sash, and having their lower ends connected to the crank sections 20, 20 of the crank-shaft. On 0 posite ends of the crankshaft are fly wheels 21 21. These wheels have crank pins 22 projecting therefrom, and to the extremities of these crank pins are keyed crank arms 23, 23. 'One of these crank arms (the left hand one with respect to Fig. 1) has connected thereto the lower end of a link 24. The upper end of this link in turn connects with the end of a crank 25 extending from a rock-shaft 26. On the rock-shaft 26 are other cranks 27, 27 and to the ends of these cranks are connected links 28, 28, the inner ends of said links being connected to lugs at the lower ends of the bearing blocks 16. It is evident from this construction that when the crank-shaft 18-is rotated, the lower ends of the bearing blocks 16. which through the described connections, are operated upon in a manner to cause the bearing blocks to swing or oscillate onthe' pivots 17, and this swinging of the bearing blocks will in turn be imparted to the lower transverse beam 13 of the gang sash, causing said sash to swing on the trunnions 12.

On each crank pin 22, between the crank wheel, is loosely mounted an arm 29.

arm 23 and the face of the adjacent l flly 1e upper ends of these arms are connected to slidable counterweights 30, which are adapted to slide or reciprocate in guide ways 31. To the extremity of one of the crank arms 23 (the right hand one with respect to Fig. 1) is connected a rod 32, which in turn'is connected to an upward extension the said up- Ward extension being adapted to operate the inlet and outlet valves of the steam cylinder.

It is evident from the construction described that when the piston in the cylinder 6 is actuated, an up and down movement is imparted to the sash frame through the piston rod 7 and this up and down movement of the sash frame, through the links 19 causes rotation to be imparted to the crankshaft 1.8, the crank-shaft serving to stop the reciprocating parts at the ends of their stroke. lhe rotation of the crank-shaft causes, through the described connections, an oscillation of the gang sash, and also a movement of the counterweights 30 up and down, the said counterweights serving to counterbalance the gang sash throughout its movement. The rotation of the crank-shaft also has the effect of actuating the rods 3233 which regulate the inlet and outlet valves of the steam cylinder,'both inner ends of the rods 32 and 33 being pivotally connected to a rock-arm 32 to offset said rod 32 and prevent its striking the guideway 31, as herein before explamed.

By the employment of my improved construction, there is no possibility of dust and sand falling on to the steam cylinder and clogging the working parts, and at the same time the sawyer is not subjected to the discomforts of the excessive heat and steam arising from the steam cylinder. By placing the cylinder on top of the gang frame, as in my invention, the ascending heat is always above the operator, and this disposition of the cylinder will also permit of building a wooden ormetal box loosely about the cylinder, and extending said box upwardly through the roof to create a draft and carry off the heat, without in the least interfering with free access to the working parts. Furthermore the arrangement of the cylinder on the top of the gang frame, places said cylinder in the most convenient position for ready access thereto at alltimes for the purpose of adjustment. Under the old forms of construction the location of the cylinders was such as to render it very unhandy to get at the different parts of the mechanism when to adjust the same.

I Won (1 further call attention to the fact that it is desirable to have the gang sash oscillated at the bottom, and in order to accomplish this there must be a yielding connection between the sash and the piston. Therefore, Where the cylinder is placed on top of the gang frame, as in my invention, it

is desirable to connect the lower end of the piston-rod with the yoke S, hereinbefore described, the said yoke in turn being pivoted on the trunnions 12 extending from the gang sash. By this construction when the lower end or bottom of the gang sash is oscillated, the upper end of the sash is necessarily caused to turn on the pivots formed by the trunnions 12.

It will be understood that the construction shown in the drawings is for a narrow or medium width of gang, and therefore only one steam cylinder is necessary. I do not, however, wish to confine my invention to but one cylinder, inasmuch as I may use two, or even more, cylinders, where the width of the gang would require the use of a plurality of cylinders, as in wide gangs. The gang shown is intended. for running from twenty to twenty-five saws. Some gangs -arr as high as fifty saws, and in the use of my invention in connection with gangs of this latter character, the use of the yoke 8 would be impracticable, owing to the fact that it would have to be too heavy to withstand the cylinder driving a sash of such excessive weight, and under the circumstances, I propose to place a cylinder at opposite ends of the top of the gang frame, with the piston rods thereof running direct to the trunnions 12, and the cross-heads 9 running in slides, as shown in the drawings, omitting, of course, al together the yoke 8.

I. would further call attention to the fact that in gangs as formerly constructed, and where the lower end of the sash is oscillated, a cross-head on the end of the piston-rod and a link between the cross-head and bottom of the sash have been employed, and in other constructions connections have been employed running from the bottom of the sash to the piston-head direct through a large hollow trunk, or again, in some constructions, the bottom of the sash is not oscillated at all, but the sash is engaged direct by the piston-rod, and the top of the sash oscillated by pendulum slides arranged at the top. WVith my present construction, in which. the cylinder ,is disposed on top of the gang frame,

I can run the piston-rod direct to the top of the gang sash, allowing a free oscillation of the bottom of the sash, without the necessity of employing the cross-heads, and slides and connections between the cross-heads and the sash.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a gang saw mill, the combination of a gang frame, a motor arranged on top of said frame, a pivotally hung gang sash, a connection between the reciprocating portion of the motor and the pivotal end of the gang sash and adapted to reciprocate said sash in the frame, and means for giving to the sash a swinging or oscillating movement on its pivot.

2. In a gang sawmill, the combination of a gang frame, a motor arranged on top of said frame, a yoke reciprocable in the frame,

a connection between the reciprocating portion of the motor and the top of the yoke, and a gang sash'pivotally secured at its upper end to the arms of the yoke near the motor connection thereto.

3. In a gang saw mill, the combination of a gang frame, a motor arranged on top of said frame, a yoke reciprocable in the frame, a connection between the reciprocating'portion of the motor and the top of the yoke, a gang sash pivotally secured at its upper end to the arms of the yoke, and means for giving to the sash a swinging or oscillating movement on its pivot.

4. In a gang saw mill, the combination of a ang frame, a motor arranged on top of said rame, a gang sash pivoted at its top within the frame, a connection between the reci rocating portion of the motor and the top 0 the gang sash and adapted to reciprocate said sash in the frame, a crank shaft below the gang sash, a connection between thegang sash and the crank of the crank shaft, whereby the reciprocating movement of the gangv sash imparts a rotary movement to the crank shaft, swinging hearings to which the lower end of the gang sash is connected, and a connection between the crank shaft and the swinging bearings, and adapted to impart an oscillating movement to said bearings as the crank shaft is rotated.

5. In a gang saw mill, the combination of a gang frame, a motor arranged on top of said rame, a yoke reciprocable .in the frame, a connection between the reciprocating portion of the motor and the top of the yoke, a gang sash pivotally secured at its upper end to the arms of the yoke, a crank shaft below the gan sash, a connection between the gang sash an the crank of the crank shaft, whereby the reciprocating movement of the sash imparts a rotary movement to the crank shaft, and means for giving to the sash a swinging or oscillating movement on its pivot. 6. In a gang saw mill, the combination of a ang frame, a motor arranged on to of said rame, a yoke reciprocable in the frame, a

connection between the reciprocating portion of the motor and the top of the yoke, a gang sash pivotally secured at its up er end to the arms of the yoke, a crank shaf t below the gang sash, a connection between the gang sash and the crank of the crank shaft, whereby the reciprocating movement of the sash imparts a rotary movement to the crank shaft, swinging bearings to which the lower end of the gang sash is connected, and a connection between the crank shaft and the swinging bearings and adapted to impart an oscillating or swinging movement to said bearings as the crank shaft is rotated.

7. In a gang saw mill, the combination of a ang frame, a motor arranged on top of said rame, a gang sash, a connection between the reciprocating portion of the motor and the gang sash, at or near the top of said gang sash and adapted to reciprocate the sash in the frame, a crank shaft below the sash, a connection between the sash and the crank of the crank shaft, whereby the reciprocating movement of the sash imparts a rotary motion to the crank shaft, vertically reciprocable counterbalancing mechanism, and a connection between said mechanism and the crank shaft, whereby, as the crankshaft is revolved, the counterbalancing mechanism is reciprocated and serves to counterbalance the sash throughout its movements.

8. In a gang saw mill, the combination of a frame, a reciprocal pivoted gang sash operatively connected to said frame, and a motor located above the gang sash, parts of which are 0 eratively connected to both the frame and t e pivoted end of the gang sash'whereby said-gang sash is reciprocated and swung on its pivots.

9. In a gang saw mill, the combination of a gang frame, a yoke reciprocable in the frame, a gang sash pivotally secured to the yoke, and a motor connected to the yoke near its pivotal connection to the gang sash.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two Witnesses.

THEODORE S. WILKIN.

Witnesses:

H. F. LAABs, D. W. FROMANDE. 

